Devil May Cry 4: Echoes of A Rivalry
by TheDarkSlayer
Summary: A story of the events that occur in Fortuna, the setting of DMC 4, when Dante arrives and starts wreaking havoc, with Nero on the chase!
1. One Hell of A Party

_One Hell of a Party_

_Crash!_ A red figure came bursting through a skylight...Dante Sparda, the Demon Slayer, and owner of Devil Never Cry. His coat flapping behind him as he lands the "short" distance to the ground, crouching down, glass dropping around him. He raises his head, and in a flash, reaches for his weapon, Ivory, points it to the head of the old man in front of him, and fires!

Behind him, Dante hears the screams and cries of fleeing people. He turns and views the scene, his face stained with blood. He sees a white-haired young man, who looks much like himself, albeit younger, his right arm in a sling, standing in front of a brown-haired woman, who's carrying a small blue box. _Can that be...?_ he thought to himself. He produced a handkerchief from a pocket within his coat and wiped his face clean of the crimson fluid.

Dante dropped down from his perch and began pacing slowly to the startled pair when he heard a voice:

"That man! He killed the High Priest! Attack him!"

The voice had come from a man adorned in white robes and a hood, and carried a one-sided sword at his waist. Dante suddenly found a group of similarly-clad warriors, blades in their hands, charging from all sides at him. With inhuman speed, Dante holstered his custom-made pistol, and reached for his demonic broadsword, Rebellion. The former blade of his father, Sparda himself, Rebellion served Dante well: he took a sweeping, horizontal strike to the left, stopping all of the hooded warriors in their tracks. They stood frozen for a moment, then Dante moved from his sword stance and kicked the man closest to the right, who was sent flying into another hooded warrior, knocking both of them down. The fighters who were still frozen in place dropped to the ground, some completely cut in half.

Dante scoffed,

"Too easy." He turned and taunted the remaining fighters, calling out, "Come and get me!"

The white-haired man, who was standing idly by, watching his fellow "Knights" be felled thought quietly to himself..._cocky bastard!...he doesn't even flinch_...The woman next to him pleaded,

"Nero, do something!"

"I know, Kyrie, I know." Using his left hand, the white-haired man took out from his jacket a double-barreled revolver, the Blue Rose. He raised the pistol and fired the extravagant weapon. Dante, being the deft and experienced Demon Hunter he is, aptly dodged the shots by dropping to his knees, at the same time thrusting his blade into the gut of an approaching attacker. He stood quickly, glaring at his shooter, and swiftly rebounded a blade strike by sweeping Rebellion horizontally while keeping its blade vertical.

Nero was not happy. He turned behind him and spoke quietly,

"Kyrie, get my sword! Go! Now!" Nero turned towards the red-clad Demon Slayer, and started strolling towards him. By now, Dante had finished with all the hooded warriors and was leaping over Nero's head and landing right next to Kyrie, speaking in a calm, but aggressive manner, sword point at her throat:

"Return it to me, and I'll let you go." Nero, of course, wasn't gonna take this kind of action politely. He fired off 4 rounds at Dante, who leaped back towards Nero and launched an uncharged Release, which nonetheless still blew Nero back. He taunted Nero, asking him incredulously,

"You really think you're a match for me? Then show me. Let's play!" Nero kindly obliged, dashing towards Dante, "Fine then! Try this!" and planted both of his feet in Dante's face. Dante was thrown into the air, back flipping once. In the meantime Nero let loose with a round of his double-barreled cannon, Blue Rose. Dante deflected the 2 bullets back down. Kyrie made a run for a nearby door as Dante rebounded off a pillar and landed on one of the folded arms of a statue of Sparda, the Demon Knight who saved mankind from the Underworld. Nero jumped, and did the same as Dante. Dante holstered Rebellion and pulled out Ebony and Ivory, twirled them and pointed them at Nero, who was just landing and directing Blue Rose at him.


	2. A Deadly Battle

_Flashback_

Midnight. A full moon. A lightning sword crashes down, wielded by a red-clad figure. Helm Breaker. The Abyss splits in half, sparks fizzling momentarily, blood spattering off its body. Dante sheathes Alastor and turns to the three Abysses creeping up to him. His right hand smacks into the ground, leaving a large set of cracks. A flash of orange light. Ifrit, Dante's demonic fire gauntlets, appear on his hands. He pulls his right fist back, his gauntlet lighting on fire. The first Abyss leaps into the air. Dante instantly blasts it away with the fireball charged in his fist: the Meteor. The Abyss to the right sinks into the ground, it's counterpart leaping backwards, ready to strike.

The first Abyss leaps out of the ground behind Dante while the other charges forward. The flying Abyss flings a fiery scythe blade at Dante, whilst the other slashes horizontally with its scythe. The flying blade explodes on contact, hitting at the same time as the other Abyss makes contact. The smoke clears, but Dante is gone. The Abysses, confused, quickly glance around the area, when a twirling sword decapitates one of them. Round Trip. Dante, coming out of nowhere, lands a Killer Bee straight into the face of the last Abyss. Both creatures dissolve, and Dante raises his hand, catching Alastor mid-twirl.

He re-sheathes the dragon-hilted sword, and turns to his right to view Trish slicing-and-dicing with the sword of Dante's father, the Sparda. With one horizontal sweep, she fells four Hell Prides, turning them to sand. Dante merely stands there and grins. She returns the smile, when they both hear a cackling laughter. Dante knew that laugh: a Hell Vanguard.

Then, from out of nowhere, a white mist appeared, and a white robed demon came forth. Dante had never seen anything like it before. It looked identical to the Hell Vanguard but for 2 differences: it was robed in white, and carried two black-handled red-bladed scythes. The Death Vanguard. Before Trish even knew it, the Vanguard had appeared before her and was about to strike when there were two sounds: a whoosh and a clang. Dante was crouching in front of her on one knee, Alastor almost half buried underground. The Death Vanguard turned to view his new attacker, when the scythe it was using to attack Trish crackled with blue electricity and split in half.

The stark-white demon was unfazed by the assault, and promptly teleported a few feet back from the cliff Dante and Trish were situated on. He raised his ruined scythe, howling, and the blade half of the weapon flew toward him. It latched onto its other half, causing a flow of red lightning along its shaft, and returned to its original state.

The Death Vanguard proceeded to cross his scythes, shooting four crimson bolts of lightning into the ground. The flowing energy of the bolts opened four portals, from which arose two more pairs of Death Vanguards. The lightning ceased, and all 5 Vanguards teleported into nothingness.

"Trish...get out of here...go, now!" She didn't have to be told twice. She made a mad dash to the forest in the distance. Meanwhile, Dante sheathed Alastor, and took a few deep breaths. He finally called out,

"Well? What are you waiting for? Bring it on!" And at that exact moment, all 5 Vanguards chose to appear around Dante. Their scythes were already swinging downwards when he Air Tricked up. Dante, floating momentarily in mid-air, Devil Triggered and spread his wings, thus unleashing his Air Raid technique. He pulled his left arm back and thrust his right arm forward, letting loose a continuous blast of energy.

The lightning bolt kept shocking a Vanguard without mercy, causing it to fry into oblivion. Or so Dante thought. The ground below him rippled, and the previously helpless Death was charging at Dante from below. Dante Air Tricked below the demon just as it was about to strike. He dropped down, delivering a devastatingly Helm Breaker in the process. The "Helm-Broken" Vanguard was sent flying at least 50 feet.

Dante followed up with a Stinger, and then started a Million Stab. The more hits Dante landed, the more power Alastor was gaining, azure lightning sparking across the blade. Dante landed a final thrust, releasing a funnel of electricity that blasted a hole clean through where the Vanguard's stomach would be. The Death dropped it's scythes, doubled over, and landed on its hands and knees in pain.

Dante stabbed Alastor into the ground, and pulled out his signature pistols, Ebony & Ivory. They flowed with scarlet energy, and Dante pointed the guns at the head of the kneeling Death, Ivory held over Ebony. Feeling a touch of sarcasm coming over him, Dante slyly remarked,

"See ya in Hell!" when he was impaled through the back by two, red scythe blades. Dante was simply annoyed by this, and merely pointed his guns over his shoulders, and fired into the face of the unfortunate Death Vanguard. The charged blasts sent it flying onto its back, screeching in pain. Dante holstered his guns, and pulled out the scythes sticking out of his back, looking like wings. He crossed the blades at the neck of the still-crouching Death and decapitated it, dropping the scythes a moment later. He dropped his Devil Trigger out of exhaustion, but still turned to the remaining Deaths, "All right, who's next?" and retrieved Alastor.

The Vanguard that was shot had half of his face gone, but still flew at Dante, clawing and punching. Dante used Ifrit to counter, landing fiery kicks to the chest and punches in the face. The Death finally grabbed him by the collar, and drew him in, snarling. It raised its hand to punch the Dante right in the face, but he unleashed a Meteor into the Vanguard's chest, loosening the demon's grip. The demon slayer took this chance to leap into the air and rain down a flurry of sword strikes from Alastor. The Death howled in pain and fear as the white-haired assailant dropped down, and charged fire into his right hand. He pulled the arm back, bending his knees, and then springing to the Death Vanguard with a fatal uppercut. The Vanguard let out a final death rattle as it fell to the ground, disappearing into nothingness, just as his late counterpart. _Damn...these guys can take a beating...this isn't good, I'm still tired from the last battle...I had better finish this quick..._

Trish was gunning it as fast as she could, when she saw Dante being surrounded by the Death Vanguards. She stopped, pondering whether or not she should disobey him and help out. She felt it would be better to let him take care of it; he knew what he was doing, and she would be but a hindrance. She finally made it to the forest. She slowed down, safe from harm. Nevertheless, she summoned the Artemis onto her right arm; you never knew when a demon might appear. She looked back and saw Dante launch a lightning funnel from his blade. _I knew he'd be able to take care of it..._She smiled at the thought, and continued onward to where their bike was parked.

Out of the darkness came a gunshot. Trish had felt the bullets whiz past her nose. She aimed the Artemis in the direction she saw the muzzle flash and called out,

"Come out and show yourself, whoever you are!" She had the distinct feeling there was more than one of them. She was right. She found herself surrounded by white-robed and hooded swordsmen, single-edged blades at the ready. Trish noticed her shooter (in whose direction she was now facing) was glowing. He stepped out of the shadows, pointing his dual-barreled revolver at her head.

Trish thought she had seen a ghost! It was Vergil! But it couldn't be! Vergil was dead. But then Trish realized she was experiencing a touch of Déjà Vu. This man not Vergil, but he could definitely be mistaken for him. Or Dante, for that matter. Despite it all she kept her cool.

"Who are you, and what in the HELL do you want??" Trish demanded.

"We are the Knights of the Order of the Sword, and we want that you carry on your back."

"So, you want Sparda, huh?" she spat at the white-haired youth, and drew that Dark Knight's devilish blade, "Well then, come and get it!"

Nero had no patience in this case. He lashed out with his Devil Bringer, driving Trish backwards through the air. She landed on her feet, and launched a swarm of shots from the Artemis. Max LockUp. More than half of the Knights were slain, but the blue-coated gunslinger was her real contender, and he looked poised and ready for a fight.


	3. This is Not Good

_This is Not Good..._

Dante heard faint gunshots in the forest. _That doesn't sound too good...but Trish can handle herself, so there's nothing to worry about...except these three, of course..._The three remaining Death Vanguards were still just standing in front of him. Being given the chance, Dante flung Alastor with Round Trip and summoned Agni & Rudra into his hands, Air Tricking towards the Deaths. He launched a Twister, then a Tempest as Alastor cut through the Deaths.

Unfortunately for Dante, the Vanguards teleported away from the fire tornado. Agni & Rudra disappeared from his hands as he caught Alastor. A warm, yet painful feeling went through his back and out his stomach. Two crimson scythe blades. _Not again..._The Vanguard pulled its scythes in a backhanded sweeping motion to the right, and Dante was tossed off the blades, only to land on a second set. This Vanguard repeated the same type of move, and threw Dante off its weapons.

Dante landed on his feet...barely. He dropped to one knee, fatigued. He noticed he was right one the edge of the cliff, water and jagged rocks below. Normally, that wouldn't pose a problem, but the Grim Reaper-like demons had kicked the wind out of him. He saw the last of the Vanguards lob one of its scythes at him. No time to think...!

_Clang!_ The scythe was deflected. Dante dropped his Royal Guard stance and stood up, supporting himself with Alastor. Then Dante burst forward, as fast as he could go. This was infinitely faster than any human, despite his injuries. He leaped at the Death that was just catching its scythe, Devil Triggered, spread out his wings with Air Raid, and spun right into the Vanguard's chest with Vortex.

He dropped onto the ground and sliced into the Death with Dance Macabre, finishing it off with a spinning kick, and then a wide sweep with Alastor, unleashing a wave of lightning. The Death Vanguard froze in its tracks. It was cut in half at the waist, and the top half fell forward, disintegrating along with the bottom half.

Dante wasn't done either. He swiftly pulled out a small, clear vial: Holy Water. Dante flung it at the ground in between the two remaining devils. The vial broke apart, exploding in a pale shockwave that sorely damaged the Deaths. One was blown back, scythes blasted out of its hands, and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The other fell to its knees, trying to bring itself back up with its own scythes.

Dante immediately donned Beowulf, his gauntlets and greaves composed of light. His Devil Trigger form warped as he ran up to the kneeling Vanguard. He stopped, and pulled his right arm as far back as he could before releasing it. Real Impact.

"Rising Dragon!" Dante yelled, as he flew up from the force of his uppercut, the Vanguard going up with him. He followed the uppercut with a Tornado of kicks, and finally slammed the Death down with both fists, screaming,

"You're grounded!" The Death bounced a foot off the ground before settling and disintegrating to whatever afterlife awaited it. The Devil Triggered demon slayer Air Hiked in the direction of the remaining Vanguard, and kicked down, right into its stomach, with Killer Bee. He jumped off the Death, and slammed his fist into the ground, unleashing Volcano. The Death was blown back, and faded into white mist, dissipating.

Dante's Devil Trigger was expended, and he dropped to his knees. Sweat beaded his forehead, and he was out of air. Four flashes of light on his limbs, and Beowulf had disappeared. Dante fell onto his right shoulder, rolling onto his stomach, exhausted. He tried to catch his breath, but fell into unconsciousness...

Nero was ticked. That was the plainest way to say it. In one shot, this woman who carried the revered Sword of Sparda had eliminated half his men. Without a sweat! He opened fire with Blue Rose on the blond woman, blasting through tree trunks, leaving cracks and splintered wood.

Trish easily weaved around the gunslinger's shots. She let off a swarm of shots aimed at him, but he swiftly took cover behind a tree. The lasers didn't get through the trunk, and Trish knew her enemy had found a defense against the Artemis.

"When she fires her weapon, hide behind the trees!" Nero commanded his men. He spun around and fired off more rounds from Blue Rose. They were vaporized by Artemis's Sphere technique. She continued to run, slashing through 2 Knights' chests, leaving wide horizontal gashes. Nero drew his single-edged sword, Red Queen, and flew forward, sweeping from right to left,

"Die!" Trish barely had time to turn and block it, but she was no ordinary human. Being a creation of the former Dark Emperor Mundus had its advantages. She leaped straight up, and was landing with a Helm Breaker when Nero thrust his Devil Bringer at her, throwing her higher into the air. She fell onto her back, aimed the Artemis skywards, and launched Acid Rain.

Nero and his men had to dodge beams of energy falling from the sky. Nero was agile, and aided by the protection of his Devil Bringer. His men, on the other hand, were not so fortunate. Several were taken out. Only a fifth of their original number remained.

Trish waited until the Acid Rain settled, got up, and got the hell out of there. She suddenly felt warmth around her entire abdomen. The path in front of her suddenly got a lot longer.

Nero had Snatched Trish with his Devil Bringer, and flung her at a tree. She collided with a sickening crack. Nero drew his sword, wary of the wielder of the Sword of Sparda. He had good reason to be. She thrust her left hand at Nero, shooting a beam of golden energy. The lightning caused Nero to drop to his knees, and gave her time to swing her sword at his head. He rolled to the right, and started swinging his sword as fast as he could, every opening to strike being blocked or parried, pressing him to do better.

Trish kept trying and trying, but all she could do was parry. Their swordsmanship was on a par. They could not get through each other's strikes. The Sparda and the Red Queen's clashes grew louder and louder as their owner's speeds intensified.

Nero finally broke through. He parried Trish's diagonal-left downward slash and thrust into her abdomen. She dodged to her left and struck downwards at his right shoulder. Nero caught the heavy blade using his Devil Bringer arm. He pushed Trish away and lashed out with his Devil Bringer, driving Trish back, sliding over the ground. He launched another Streak yelling,

"Begone!" Trish blocked at the last moment, and the flurry of blade strikes resumed. Their vicious strikes were creating a blade-wind that rustled the leaves of the trees around them. Nero decided he had no choice..._Looks like it's time to test out the Exceed..._

He jumped back, away from Trish, and twisted the handle of his sword three times. Scarlet gas shot across the sword's length. Nero ran up to Trish, slicing his sword, back handed into the ground wiht such force that large cracks shot out of the line cut through the ground. The swords connected, and the Sparda flew out of Trish's hands...


	4. A Stolen Relic

It was safe to say Trish was not expecting that. She underestimated the power of Nero's attack. Either way, she had no coice but to dodge his next slash and somehow retrieve the Sparda before he could get to it.

Nero was pleasantly surprised with his Exceed-powered assault. With that blade out of her hands, she had a severe disadvantage. And so, Nero slashed downwards and to his right. Trish bent her body to evade the attack, and aimed the Artemis at Nero's chest. She let loose half a dozen demonic "arrows" that hit Nero at point blank range, causing his legs to buckle. He fell flat on his back. Pain stinging his body, he practically screamed in agony,

"Get the sword! I'll deal with her!" Despite the pain, he hopped onto his feet and punched Trish with a vicious uppercut from his Devil Bringer, but not before she let loose another Max Lock Up. What little men Nero had left were eliminated. He would have to capture the Sword of Sparda himself.

---------

Faint light. Faint enough to see. Moonlight. Dante's eyes flickered, opening slowly. The first thing that came out of his mouth was a groan. He picked himself up, waivering on his feet. He fell to his knees, still exhausted, and caught his breath. He drew in several deep breaths before standing again. How long had he been unconscious?

He heard the faint clash of metal against metal, piercing through the darkness. He ambled in the direction of the forest, regaining his stamina each step of the way. He was soon taking lax strides towards the forest, eager to see just what the heck was going on with Trish.

---------

Nero didn't hesitate to run as fast as he could towards the Sparda sword. Trish let off another series of rounds, but Nero again hid behind a tree. He whirled around the tree, letting off 6 shots in a row at Trish as he ran. She fired another set of beams, but Nero hid again. He leaped out of his cover, holding his revolver with both hands to steady his fire, and, repeatedly, pulled the trigger.

Trish dodged all but one of them: a calf hit.

She fell face forward into the ground. Nero came up to her, pulled out his sword, and ruthlessly stabbed her in the thigh of the same leg she was shot. She moaned from the pain that her now throbbing thigh gave her. Nero simply remarked,

"Sorry about that, but, you see, I have to get the sword." He replaced Red Queen onto its resting place on his back and strode up to the sinister-looking blade that was stabbed into the earth. Nero slowly reached for the hilt with his Devil Bringer, as if he was in a reverie. There seemed to be a strange attraction between his arm and this awe-inspiring blade. Slowly and ever so slowly it drew his arm in, until his hand finally rested on the reverse-oriented blade handle. His Devil Bringer started to glow a faded crimson as he plucked the Sparda out of the soil.

Nero was admiring the curved metal edge of the blade, when it started to fade. Everything demonic about it was dissipating, and Nero was left with a silver broadsword that seemed as if there was nothing supernatural about it in the first place. But he heard a tiny, dull thud. He looked down at a an amulet with a red crystal at the center. It was split in two: one side was gold, the other silver. He picked it up, holding it up to the moonlight to examine.

A body collided into his, making him drop the ForceEdge, although his hold on the Perfect Amulet remained. It was Trish, leg still bleeding Artemis aimed at his head. He was saved by an unlikely voice,

"Trish!" Dante yelled, seeing Nero holding the Perfect Amulet, "Are you all right?" Trish dropped onto her hands and knees, panting from exhaustion and blood loss. Nero made his escape, slipping away into the trees while Dante was concerning himself with Trish.

"Hey, get back here!", he shouted after him, but Nero had gone out of his reach, and he had Trish to worry about. He didn't have any Vital Stars with him, and so he'd have to take her back to the shop. Trish quietly mumbled,

"He took the Amulet...but...I stopped him...we still have the sword." With that last statement, she smiled, and fell into unconsciousness. The gash in her thigh had really taken its toll. Dante walked over to the ForceEdge, picking it up from the ground. He momentarily admired it, remembering fleeting memories of his brother, and their battle in Hell. He pushed the thoughts away, and replaced the ForceEdge on his back. He scooped up Trish and Devil Triggered with Alastor..._guess I'll have to get the bike later..._and Dante leaped into the air, spreading his wings and speeding forward in the direction of Devil Never Cry.

---------

Nero made his way through the forest towards the semi-truck that had brought him and his men here. His now _deceased_ men. He turned to the air as he heard a crackle of lightning and caught a glimpse of a black humanoid demon, flying through the air away from him. Little did he know it was actually the Son of Sparda, drawing on his demonic powers.

He continued to the road where his transport was waiting. He finally arrived, strolled up to the rear doors, and knocked twice. The door swung open, and Nero climbed inside.

"Do you have it?" demanded an elderly voice from the other end of the trailer. It was the High Priest of their Order! What was he doing here?? Nevertheless Nero answered with a hint of disappointment in his voice,

"I failed to retrieve the sword, sir, but I did _not _return empty-handed." Nero pulled out the Perfect Amulet, holding it up to the High Priest's eye level by the chain. The old man smiled, commending Nero,

"Well done, young one. For now, we will return to Fortuna, and then we will return to retrieve the Sword of Sparda..." Nero couldn't help but notice the old man whisper _Sword of Sparda_, as if in despair of what was to come. But Nero had to banish these thoughts, as sleep was overtaking him, and he lay down onto one of the long benches set up for carrying troops. He lay there for a some time, before sleep finally caught up to him.


	5. A Lil' Place Called Fortuna

A/N: Dear readers, I'd like to thank you for your reviews and support of my story. I really appreciate that you enjoy this and I ask for more reviews D. I'm also very sorry that it starts so cheesy, and is kinda dull compared to the other ones, but I couldn't really brainstorm anything else!! It's a slow part of the story... (-.-) and I'm too giddy bout the REAL DMC 4. But anyway, without further delay, the story:

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She woke up to a smiling face in front of hers. It was a face that evoked strength, but at the same time, compassion. The white-haired son of Sparda, Dante.

"You feelin' okay? You had a bit of an ordeal." He was referring to Trish's thigh and calf wounds: one, a gash from a sword, the other, a gunshot wound. She picked her head up to view her surroundings. She was lying on the couch in the corner of their shop, Devil Never Cry. Her left leg had two tourniquets tied around both her calf and thigh. She sighed,

"Sheesh. I need some food." Dante could only reply, "Well good! 'Cause, as a matter of fact, I ordered pizza right after I got those tourniquets on. Want some?" "Yeah, bring some over here," she grinned. She breathed in the cheesy and meaty aroma of the pepperoni pizza, grabbed the slice and took a bite.

"All right, Trish. Now you gotta tell me. Just what the heck happened?" Trish sighed. Where to start?

"There was this guy. You saw him. Blue eyes. White hair. At first, I thought it was Vergil, but I knew that wasn't possible. He had a strange arm, and the energy... It felt familiar...his _arm_ felt like Nelo Angelo's energy!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You _do _understand what it is you're saying? First and foremost, Nelo Angelo is _dead. _Second, he was my _brother. _So you're saying my _brother _has reincarnated as a _demonic arm_??" Dante found this very implausible: Vergil, a demonic _arm_?? Now he had seen it all. Trish could see the disbelief in his eyes. His brother, after all, had opted to stay behind in the Underworld after his crushing defeat at the hands of Dante. Mundus had then found him, and defeated him, turning him into the armored husk of his former self, Nelo Angelo, and Dante had been forced to fight him again.

"Dante, I don't know _what_ happened to Vergil, but what I _do _know is that this man with the demon arm has the Amulets, Dante. Why would someone, a group of _humans_, need the Amulets?" Trish had made an important point.

"Well, the only thing that can _obviously _be done is to get 'em back somehow, and at the risk of sounding cliché, and preferably ask questions later." Dante grinned at Trish, devious thoughts running through his mind. "So, what do we know about this guy?"

"He came with a group of guys: clothed in white robes with hoods. They called themselves the Knights of the Order of the Sword. I've never heard of these guys..." Trish groaned in disappointment. Another sly smile from Dante, and he spoke,

"So? Neither have I. That tells me it's time to call an old friend." Dante remarked, picking up the phone, and dialing the number to Enzo.

----------------------

Nero woke with a start, panting and sweating. He sat against the wall of the trailer he was in. _What time is it? How long have we been driving? _Nero noticed the High Priest wasn't there anymore, and sighed, brushing his fingers through his hands. His Devil Bringer, leathery and stiff, felt warm against his head. The trailer truck hit bumps and hopped lightly as Nero examined his Devil Bringer. What had happened to cause his arm to become like this? The Devil Bringer was powerful, but exhausting to use. He remembered the sling he usually put over it, and strode to the front of the cabin to find his supplies.

There rested his single-edged broadsword, Red Queen, gleaming ever so slightly in the dim lighting, and Blue Rose, settled in its holster, eager for use. Nero pulled on the holster carrying his unique pistol, and took his sword in his hands. He grabbed a small rock from inside his pack, and stepped over to sit down. He began to slide the stone across the Red Queen's blade length, sharpening its blade, making it more deadly with every sweep.

The truck finally stopped, and Nero gathered his things. He placed his long sword onto his back, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door. He lightly pushed it open, and dropped to the ground, bag slung over his shoulder.

The town was bathed in sunlight, light bouncing off of glass and metal surfaces, stinging Nero's eyes. He raised his hand over his eyes, and walked out onto the street, headed for the Monastery.

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Dante hung up the phone, spinning in his chair seat towards Trish, swiftly standing up,

"Well, Enzo's contacts say that this Order is located in Fortuna. It seems we're gonna be goin' on a fun lil' trip," he smirked. Trish was already standing, practicing with the ForceEdge, thrusting and sweeping in the empty area of Devil Never Cry. Her wounds, although fairly serious, had healed quickly, if not instantly as Dante's do. "Trish," Dante spoke, striding towards an adjacent wall, "I want you to take Alastor." He unhooked the lightning-dragon blade from its area on the wall, handing it to Trish, blade side towards him.

"You should have this. I have Rebellion, and ForceEdge just won't do you too much good," Dante shrugged, "And there's one more thing," he stated, heading over to the sword that was hung right next to where Alastor had sat: Rebellion. "I want you to sit this one out."

To this, Trish could only say, "But Dante-"

"No," he whispered, as he silenced her by placing his finger on her mouth, "If this guy can beat you down, then I'd rather you stay here and keep up our business. I got a grudge to settle." He gave Trish a light kiss on the lips, then strode past her, poking fun at himself, "Hey, I'm not _that_ immature, am I?" They chuckled at his little joke, and Dante placed Rebellion onto his back. He pushed the doors open, striding out into the small courtyard around his shop. He Devil Triggered, his crimson demon form leaping into the air, spreading its wings, and blasting its way to Fortuna with frightening speed.

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Nero quickly gloved his right arm, and put it in its sling. He was in public now, but luckily, there weren't any people around. He strolled away from the truck, heading into a wide alley, a shortcut to his final destination. Portals opened in front of him, and Hell Prides leaped out, ambling towards him. _Ugh, I really don't have the _patience_ for this_...Ignoring the sling, Nero Snatched at the fire escape above his head, bringing himself up. He dropped his bag on the platform and drew Red Queen, dropping down with a skull-crushing strike, not unlike Dante's Helm Breaker.

He replaced his sword and drew his revolver, blasting away at the pathetically weak Prides. One by one they fell to his flurry of gunshots, and before it had even begun, it was over. Nero sighed. It was annoying how often demons happened to spawn in his city. Was it because of him? Was his power attracting these demons? He might never know, but for now, his goal was to get the Amulet to Kyrie, the sister of the head of the entire Order. And so he retrieved his bag, Snatching it with his Devil Bringer, and strode on.

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A/N: Now, I hope that wasn't too boring for most of you, and that you'll review anyway, telling me I'm really bad with the mushy parts P, and I need more action. So I hope you review, sorry for the delay, and I'm gonna be brainstorming more action for you. Thanks!


	6. Recovering a Stolen Memento

A/N: Ok, after a very short and boring chapter, I am back and ready to bring you some more action. As always, I appreciate your reviews and would like commentary on improving/changing my fanfiction. And here you have it: Chapter 6

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A scarlet comet was sailing through the atmosphere, high above rolling hills of grass and wildlife. The streak of light behind the comet was fading as the flying demon advanced, ignoring the countryside passing below him. The air was getting colder as Dante kept heading north toward the city of Fortuna, the home of the Order of the Sword. He had to retrieve a stolen memento: the Perfect Amulet, Key to the Underworld, and only keepsake of his mother and brother.

Dante continued on through the increasingly frigid air, now aware of the pair of bright white orbs forming in front of him: the Fallen. Dante equipped Nevan, his demonic guitar, onto his back. His demon form warped, his limbs embraced by streaks of light. He blew right past the Fallen with a Vortex, then spun around, unleashing a bolt of lightning from each hand at the both of them. _That should slow them down_...And then he saw a blue streak fly past him. It was one of the Fallens' swords. They were still in pursuit.

He turned around, the scythe-guitar in his hands, speeding towards them like a violet-red Grim Reaper. He slashed the one to his right with a downwards slash, and took out the next with a slash to the right, Dante's demonic form flowing in combat like water in a river. He halted as the two Fallen turned faded in a dim flash of white light. Dante spun around, and switched back to Rebellion, his demon form warping back to its default form. He resumed his flight, this time more wary of any dangers that might appear.

Like he wouldn't be able to handle it.

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Nero finally saw it: the Monastery. Its elegant structure, with its stained glass windows and stone architecture evoked a feeling of grandeur. He headed through the courtyard, and through a wooden side door, gracefully crafted to show Sparda in a cloak, horns curving around his head, hands resting on the pommel of a sword. Nero slowly opened the door, careful to use his left hand, and slid inside.

He was inside a small room, with a bunk bed to his right, his own on the bottom, the top, his roommate's. He stepped forward in the direction of another door, where there sat an attractive young lady, brunette, writing diligently in a notebook. She took notice of the youth in blue and red, and her face lit up in an instant.

"Nero!" she exclaimed, getting up out of her chair to hug him, "You're back!" He hugged her back, again, ignoring the sling that was meant to 'support' his right arm. "How are you?" She let him go, happy to see him after all the time in which he had to track down the Sword of Sparda: three days. He walked past her to sit in another chair, dropping the bag,

"Me, I'm just plain tired. But I have something important." He reached with his left hand into his jacket and pulled out the Perfect Amulet: Key to both the Underworld and the power of Sparda. "Now, you know what to do with it, so here it is. Take it." He handed her the Amulet, which she took and regarded with great reverence, observing it under the light of a lamp on her desk.

"It's beautiful. All right, then. There's a service today that the High Priest is doing. You should come." she took the Amulet, and walked over to a small closet, pulling out a small blue box.

"I know I should, I _am, _as a matter of fact." Nero replied, as he unfastened Red Queen from his back and set it against a corner of the wall. "All right, we're off!"

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At last. The sun was already beginning to set, but Dante's target was finally in sight. Fortuna. The name itself meant 'luck.' It was time to see if Dante was gonna get any. He landed on one of the outermost buildings, relinquishing his Devil Trigger. Rebellion, sitting on his back, gleamed in the afternoon sun. Dante crept over to the edge of the roof, peeking over onto the ground. He looked over to the roof opposite to him. He stepped backwards two steps, then leapt across the gaping chasm that was the 10-story drop below him. He landed into a confident stride, as if he hadn't even taken the leap. He walked over to the other side of the roof.

There, his luck increased tenfold. A familiar figure was walking down the street. A figure in a blue coat. _Hmm...his right arm...a sling? Looks like he doesn't want people knowing about him..._Dante leaped across the next gap, trailing his new-found prey.

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Nero was delighted with his recent meal: salmon with mashed potatoes, and a delectable salad to boot. He had agreed to meet with Kyrie at the Monastery before seven o'clock. He strolled casually through the streets, stomach full, appetite satisfied, but he had an insidious feeling washing over him. He was being watched.

He looked around, glancing at windows, looking up at the roofs, but there was no one (or nothing) to be found. Pedestrians calmly strolled by in flamboyant attire, smiling at Nero as he passed by. He continued to have this vexing feeling as he sauntered onwards, ever prickling at the back of his neck, curling the hairs. What _is_ this presence?? He glanced over his shoulder as he reached the corner, still wary of this..._thing..._that was following him with ever present determination.

Straight ahead, the massive doors of the Monastery lay before him, with a certain woman standing at the base of a set of stairs. He walked over to her, trying to placate his screaming instinct: something was after him. He put his hand to his waist, his elbow pointing to Kyrie in a mock fashion,

"Shall we?" Nero jokingly stated. Kyrie looped her arm through his,

"Why, yes, we shall." They walked in through the doors.

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Dante watched from his perch as Nero entered the building with a young woman. He leaped over to the Monastery in an incredible leap. He flew 30 feet up to land comfortably on top of one of the Monastery's spires, crouching down onto his knees. He observed the ground below: people heading into the Monastery, cars driving across streets, men and women going about their business. He turned to the roof of the Monastery, and got a glimpse of a large, round skylight, forged from stained glass.

_If I'm gonna do this...then I had better make sure to finish these guys off..I really don't want them comin' back..._Dante stood up and cracked his neck, twisting his head with his hands, loosening himself up. He exhaled, and took a single leap, at first heading diagonally upwards, but he stopped and fell straight down, foot first.

_Here comes the Crimson Reaper._


	7. Display of Skill

A/N: O.K. readers, now to be completely clear, I need to say this, so as nobody need be confused: This next chapter takes place after the events of Chapter 1. Chapters 2-6 are BEFORE Chapter 1. Also, I apologize for the delay in me not uploading this chapter. All right, everything clear? Good. Then we can begin this Chapter :).

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Mexican Standoff. Ebony & Ivory versus Blue Rose. Dante against Nero. Neither made a move. Dante was the first to speak,

"So, _you're _the one who has the guts to hurt my friend and take _my _amulet. Props to ya, you're slick."

"Shut it! I did what I had to. Just like I'm doing now: killing you." Nero spat back as his grip on his dual-barreled revolver tightened. He glared at his opponent with as much intensity as he could muster. Dante leaped at him, and swung his left foot into Nero's face. Nero fell off the statue of Sparda, landing on the marble floor with a dull thump. His head probably couldn't have hurt any worse.

Dante peered over the edge of the statue, and leaped down on to a cross made to look like a sword that was standing under the hands of the statue. He dropped onto the top of it, landing with his feet on the flat surface, his right hand holding on to the top like a rock climber. By now, Nero had gotten to his feet. Lucky for him he did, as Dante was already aiming Ebony at him. Too bad Nero fired first. Dante moved his head to dodge the shots, smirking the whole time.

The cross creaked. It started to tip over onto the side Dante was on. Nero took advantage of Dante's distraction and hiked up the cross. Dante flipped over to the other side, drawing Rebellion, holding it loosely at his side. Nero brought up Blue Rose and blasted it straight at Dante's face. Or rather, where it just was. Dante had slipped to Nero's left, dodging away from the revolver's deadly twin blasts. Nero swung his gun in Dante's direction, firing again, at Dante's face. This time, Dante swooped to Nero's right, leaping off the sword-shaped cross as it collided into the ground with a loud crash of marble against stone.

Nero was thrown off the cross, colliding with some of the pews below. Dante casually strolled over to where Nero landed and was greeted with a gunshot to his left shoulder. Nero slowly got up, one of the straps of his sling was torn in half, his Devil Bringer arm gloved, but exposed. Dante looked at it as Nero kept his revolver pointed to his head.

"So that's the arm, huh? Care to test it out?" Dante hissed, with his usual touch of sarcasm as he slashed Rebellion with one hand, from left to right, cutting the other strap of Nero's sling. The sling fell, revealing the arm, but for the gloved hand. Nero shook the glove off his Devil Bringer, explaining,

"It's apparent I won't be needing this anymore." The glove fell to the floor, fully exposing the glowing appendage. Scaly and utterly inhuman, Nero's Devil Bringer was probably his greatest asset. He thrust upwards with an uppercut using his Devil Bringer arm, and a ghost projection slammed into Dante's chin: a large, translucent arm had hit him. He was thrown upwards, and the ghost arm latched back onto him as Nero shouted,

"Go down!" Nero thrust his arm downwards, and the ghost projection smacked Dante into the ground, fracturing the marble floor. Groaning from the impact of Nero's attack, Dante gradually brought him self up. He was, of course, putting up an act, albeit an unconvincing one. Nero had his revolver pointed at Dante's head the whole time.

"Any last words?" Nero asked of his victim-to-be. Dante chuckled as he stood to his feet. He continued to chuckle, unnerving Nero by the second. He picked up Rebellion, replacing it onto his back. He uttered but a single word as he continued to laugh,

"Poser..." and Dante disappeared with a streak of red that remained in front of Nero. And then an elbow stabbed into his back. Nero dropped to his knees from the force of the blow as Dante strode up to him and kicked him in the stomach.

"Look, kid, the only thing I have against _you _is that you hurt my friend. I'm here for something else, so don't get in my way!" Dante shouted as he took Nero by the collar and flung him past the rows of pews. He headed back the way he came, below the skylight, and leaped all the way up, landing on the lip of the roof. A door slammed open, and Kyrie stood looking around, Red Queen in her arms.

"Nero!" she screamed, as she ran towards him, dropping the sword, "Are you all right?? What happened?? Where'd that man go??" Nero was in too much pain from Dante's fierce attack to answer her, and merely stepped over to grab his sword, replacing it onto his back. "Nero, what happened??" she demanded, "Your arm...is it okay...?" Kyrie already knew of Nero's arm, being the only one Nero entrusted the secret with, besides the High Priest and the Knights of the Order.

"Kyrie, take the amulet, take a garrison of Knights, go to the deserted palace. You know the one, in the mountains up north. I'm going to go after that guy. Don't worry. I'll be fine." He headed for the door, Kyrie on his tail. They entered a small fountain courtyard. Portals opened in the ground, and blade-appendaged demons rose upwards: Scarecrows.

"Kyrie, get out of here, go get the knights, and head for the deserted palace." Nero unsheathed his blade, Red Queen, and unleashed Streak,

"Blast!!" he yelled, slashing through a Scarecrow. Without stopping he slashes upwards with High Roller, launching the Scarecrow up along with himself. He fired off 3 shots from Blue Rose, then grabbed the demon with his Devil Bringer. He slammed it down into the ground with Buster,

"Slam dunk!" There were three left, he fired off Blue Rose at the next one, and then grabbed it with his Snatch ability. The ghost-arm fell short. The Scarecrow wasn't in range. Nero charged forward, swiping his sword across the ground, launching the Scarecrow with High Roller once again, and then proceeded to blast it out of the air with his revolver. Red orbs fell to the ground, and flew over to Nero, dissipating, but still there.

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Dante reached the lip of the partly shattered skylight, and spun around to meet a blade that swiped at his face. He turned out of its path to receive a small cut on his left cheek. He Thrust Kicked at the Scarecrow, leaped forward, and slammed down onto its head with Helm Breaker, ripping it apart. _Only one...that seems a little suspicious..._Dante strode over to the edge of the roof, and saw two figures: a trench coat-wearing sword-wielder, and a white-clad lady, both of which he had seen before. _That woman...she must have the Amulets...or at the very least, know where they are..._He followed the woman over the rooftops, as she passed through a door to the outside. And there Dante saw it: an entire legion of Scarecrows ambling slowly through the city, fighting with white-robed knights. He leaped across to the next building, trailing the woman who may know where his Amulets are...


	8. The End?

Author's Notes: As you will see in this next chapter, I'm taking a new route with this story...I really hope you enjoy this chapter as I took QUITE a while to write this...And I had other stuff that took over my mind in between..for example Bleach...but anyway...Capcom owns the characters and the series...I just made up a storyline. Enjoy :)

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Dante rushed into the the hall. Dim, blue light rays poured in through the stained glass windows above. Pillars lined the outer edges of the room, creating long shadows as the lights from adjacent windows blasted the pillars from behind. The entire hall, furnished in a deep, grey stone, was melancholy and grim. But all these details weren't noticed by Dante, as he saw what was on the other end of the hall.

A single stone altar, decorated with red cloth, stood about 30 feet from him. Though it was also not the altar that interested him, but what lay there: Trish. Unconscious or dead, he didn't know, but considering there was still color in her skin, Dante was allowed to be at ease.

For a split-second.

Right beside the altar, his back turned from Dante, was a blue-clad teenager. He turned, now aware of the Demon Slayer's presence,

"Welcome, Dante...I'm glad you could make it. You've eliminated my subordinates, superiors, and hell, almost myself. But in the end, _I_ will resurrect the Legendary Dark Knight...I have his sword..and apparently, the key to it, this Amulet." He pulled out the Perfect Amulet from under his blue jacket, displaying it to Dante as if it were a trophy.

"Now...I will open a gate to the Underworld..and revive...the Legendary Dark Knight..._Sparda..._" Nero drew ForceEdge off his back, twirled it upside-down, and stabbed it through Trish's abdomen.

"_**NO!!!!!**_" Dante's yell blasted through the entire hall as he witnessed another person he cared about ripped from his life...Nero raised the amulets up to the sword, where they were instantly absorbed. The sword transformed into a gruesome, curved-edge blade. Trish's eyes were flung open as she let out an ear-piercing scream. Golden lightning enveloped her body, and began to be absorbed into the Sparda sword in a maelstrom of energy: _Trish's_ energy. The energy encircled the demonic sword, and finally dissipated. Trish's body had disappeared.

Then, in an instant, a shockwave of crimson-black energy blasted out of the sword blowing Nero away and causing Dante to struggle to even keep himself on the ground. Nero landed on his feet, albeit in a crouched position, and observed what happened next. The power that was released in the shockwave started to congregate behind the sword, swirling like a hurricane. It finally took the form of a floating circle. The solid energy started to seep to the rim of the circle, revealing a lake of blood, filled with ruined statues and sculptures.

Nero had succeeded in opening a portal to the Underworld. He ambled towards the altar, completely immersed in the sight of the portal, which brimmed with crimson-black energy around the edge, spilling out and dissipating, like ripples in water.

Light suddenly filled the portal, creating a shaft of ice-blue energy that pierced from it. Power. Dante rolled out of the way to avoid the energy that threatened to injure him. It was strong..much like his own power. The shaft of light faded, and a blue mist poured out of the portal, resting around the sword. It crept past Nero, and started to take a shape. First a vague orb, then it grew appendages, taking a human-esque shape. The mist-figure walked into Nero, and all trace of it disappeared.

Nero's spine snapped backwards and he let out a blood-curling howl. His Devil Bringer lit up in a beacon of light, almost blinding in intensity. The light faded, and Nero brought his Devil Bringer to the hilt of the Sparda sword, and ripped it out of the altar, settling it to hang at his side. Air blasted away from Nero as power surged through him. He flipped the sword, and stabbed it into the ground. Dante stood, his own hand clasping the hilt of Rebellion, wary of what was to happen next.

What happened next, he most likely would _not_ have expected. Nero took his Devil Bringer hand, and ran the hand through his hair, eyes closed. The hair was left spiked backwards. He let his hand drop, his face no longer the same, and opened his eyes. The eyes were no longer Nero's dark blue, but the ice-blue of Dante's.

"Long time no see..._Dante..._"

Dante was thunderstruck. _V-Vergil? That's...there's just...no WAY!!!_

"Dante, you're being very quiet. How about...heh heh...a _kiss_ from your brother? Or better yet..." At this point, Nero/Vergil had the Devil Bringer raised in front of him, closing it into a fist, "How about a kiss from this!?" and he thrust it out a Dante, a large ghost-fist flying straight at him. With barely any time to react, Dante swung his sword down at the Devil Bringer's spectral attack. The two connected, and Dante was pushed backwards, sliding along the floor, leaving dust tracks as he went. He finally gathered the strength to push downwards, through the specter, as it retreated back into the arm from whence it came.

"It's good to see you haven't lost all your reflexes, brother. But this is where it ends..." Vergil took his Devil Bringer arm and rested it on the Sparda sword. At that instant, both fighters disappeared, Air Tricking towards each other. Vergil's sword was vertical against Dante's, which was in a horizontal defensive stance.

"Not good, Dante. You're on the defense already!" Vergil slid the sword downwards sending Dante sliding backwards once more. Vergil charged at him, the Sparda sword dragging along behind him, and was brought upwards. High Time. Dante had blocked it, but was nevertheless thrown upwards, Vergil lifting off after him. They clashed in the air, their speed creating a blade-wind so powerful that they were gliding down to the ground. They continued their clash: Rebellion against the Sparda sword. A battle of kin.

Dante launched a Million Stab, many of which Vergil parried, but the ones he didn't cut through fairly badly, spraying blood in jets out his back. Red Queen was swung off Vergil's back and now it was 2-on-1. Dante's strikes were being deflected as Vergil's parries increased in velocity, the only things visible to the human eye were the gleams of light that danced on the blue-clad brother's swords. Dante was thrown off balance with a final parry from Red Queen, and Vergil swung downward with the Sparda sword.

A loud clang echoed through the halls as Agni & Rudra's Whirlwind connected with Vergil's swipe. Both the combatants were thrown back from the force of the attack, and both stood 5 feet from each other. Dante Jet Streamed at Vergil, who responded in kind. They passed each other, each spurting blood from wounds they had just inflicted on each other. Dante flipped the scimitars and smashed them into the ground, rolling out a carpet of flame at Vergil's back. He turned with the Sparda sword, sending out a gust of wind that canceled out the flames.

"Looks like we're even, bro," Dante remarked. From under his jacket, Dante pulled out his Shotgun, and Gun Stingered towards Vergil, who was blasted in the face and sent flying. Smoke was all that remained as Dante rested the Shotgun on his shoulder. Through the smoke were heard three blasts of steam. It was the Exceed! Vergil tore through the smoke with Red Queen as Dante barely raised his Ice Age technique in time to deflect the sword. Cerberus did him well in this situation.

Vergil launched a combo with Red Queen, slashing at Dante who parried each strike with Just Guard. Vergil High Rollered at Dante, who didn't parry perfectly with the last Just Guard and was thrown up into the air, Vergil once again following behind him. They clashed again, this time Red Queen versus Rebellion, until Vergil caught Dante with his Devil Bringer's spectral arm, throwing him down with Buster. He brought him up a split-second later with Snatch, but Dante had a surprise: Nevan. As soon as he reached Vergil he summoned Nevan and Air Slashed him through the chest, sending him flying back. Dante Air Hiked backwards, summoning Beowulf onto his body, aiming for Vergil with a Killer Bee as he began to descend. Vergil had already recovered, and just barely noticed Dante speeding towards him when he raised his Devil Bringer arm to catch Dante's foot. The impact sent out a shockwave that scattered every piece of dust in the vicinity.

Dante flinched, seeing his attack had little effect, which in reality, it had a lot more than it seemed: Vergil's feet trembled with the impact. _He's become much stronger...as expected from my little brother...but I won't let him win! _Vergil changed his grip from Dante's foot to his ankle and grabbed it with both hands, spinning, and flinging Dante in the direction of the altar and the still open Hell-Gate. Dante landed on his back, still sliding towards the altar, stopping before it as if he were some sort of sacrifice, a goat that was to have its throat slit. He panted, exhausted from the ferocity of the sword duel. Vergil, too, was becoming exhausted, especially from taking Dante's Killer Bee head-on.

Dante conjured Rebellion into his hand, Beowulf disappearing from his body. Vergil Stingered towards Dante with Sparda, Dante doing the same with Rebellion. The two blade tips crashed into each other, and remained that way for an even second. Then the wind blasts from each fighter's Stinger blasted the both of them away. Dante materialized Nevan back into his arms, and launched a Distortion, which Vergil countered by swinging Sparda in a maelstrom of blade swings, scattering the electric bats. But this was merely a distraction: Dante Reverb Shocked towards Vergil as he rested his sword, and thus was still hit by a swarm of bats, cutting and electrocuting him at the same time. Dante flowed into a Feedback, and Crazy Roll, cutting Vergil clean in half with the final strike. But being a half-demon, Vergil's wound had sealed up instead of becoming fatal. Nevertheless he was thrown onto the ground, face down.

_Why??? Why is this happening??? _ Vergil brought himself up to the ground and pulled his Devil Bringer arm back, an orb of energy forming in his open palm. He thrust the orb towards Dante, who unleashed his Ultimate. The orb crashed against the golden wall of energy, leaving dust to spread around it. The Ultimate had done its job. _Dante...you have become much stronger over the past few years..._Dante summoned Beowulf onto himself again and charged a Straight. Vergil launched a spectral fist which Dante rammed into with the Straight. It was a ruse. Dante launched a Zodiac the moment he smashed into the spectral arm. The Zodiac was heading straight for Vergil. He slashed with the Sparda sword, the energy blast exploding as it was cut apart by the Devil Arm. But where did Dante go? He was answered with a yell from above. Dante had Air Tricked above him, and was now landing with a Helm Breaker. Vergil could only lift his sword, blocking horizontally with two hands. The two blades collided-

The sound of the impact reverberated through the hall, echoing, a church bell in a place that needed none. Dust was once again strewn across the arena due to the shockwave from their impact. Vergil was on one knee, Dante balanced above the air, clinging to his sword, still in the stance from the attack. The red-clad warrior pushed off from his brother's blade, back-flipping. He let go of Rebellion, catching it in a back-handed position as he landed into his Drive stance. A burst of white-hot power surged across the blade of Rebellion, as if the blade where engulfed in white flame, but the flame was shooting upwards across the blade. This was a _much_ more powerful version of Dante's Drive. _Let's see if this works! _Dante swung the sword, back-handed, at Vergil, releasing a white-red crescent that cut through the ground towards the elder brother.

Vergil swung the Sparda sword to his lower left, sharp edge away from himself. The crescent reached Vergil, who lashed out the Sparda sword, upwards to the right, colliding with the attack one-handed. The crescent was lifted from the ground, becoming unstable, until it finally fizzed out, Vergil swinging the sword completely outwards. The sight he beheld the moment his sword was at its peak height was not pleasing. Dante had gotten right in front of him, in Devil Trigger form, Rebellion at the ready.

"You left yourself wide open!!!!!!" Dante yelled in his warped voice. And the blade slashed, from right hip to left shoulder, a wide gash, blood spilled for a moment, until the wound was healed...But demonic blood cannot heal a damaged pride...

_Why..?...Why is this happening?? Why is Father's power failing me...?...Is my brother THAT much __**stronger**__ than I am? Than __**FATHER **__was??? No...I can't lose...I will beat him! I MUST beat him!!!!! _

Vergil screamed in agony and anger, his soul screaming at his brother, at his lack of power, at his weakness. Dante unleashed Dance Macabre at his brother, slicing him apart. He finally unleashed Million Stab, and thrust Vergil backwards, who landed on his back, broken in body and spirit. Dante relinquished his Devil Trigger, and watched his brother intently.

He stood, no longer willing to fight, and yelled out to the heavens, out to the world,

"_**FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY!?!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!? WHY CAN'T I BEAT HIM!?!?!?!**_" And with that, the Sparda sword crackled with crimson-black lightning that traveled up Vergil's Devil Bringer arm, completely engulfing his body. He rose into the air, power surging through him. He curled into a ball, and then let loose the energy within the sword: a supernova of energy, allowing him to Devil Trigger with the power of his father's sword.

Vergil drifted to the ground, stepping down gracefully in his father's Devil Trigger form. Sparda was unleashed. His arm, though, remained the same, but was lit with a different light: a crimson shade, with the scales being a deep, brownish-black. Vergil lashed out with the Devil Bringer at a pillar taking hold of it. The spectral arm was now a dark red fire, instead of the defined replica of the former arm. He pulled the pillar out of its place, and swung it at Dante's right side. Dante leaped above the pillar, Air Tricking forward, and landing with a Helm Breaker.

Dante gaped at what had just happened: Vergil had caught Rebellion with his left hand. The specter-arm smashed into Dante's left side, sending him crashing into another pillar. Vergil leaped into the air and spread his insect-like wings. Dante thrust forward with his sword in front of him. Vergil was caught completely off guard. _He Stingered in the air!? _The broadsword impaled Vergil, leaving it covered in blood. Vergil grabbed hold of Dante's throat with the Devil Bringer, and flung him away as he floated in the air, sword through his gut. He gripped Rebellion's blade and thrust it away from his body. He twirled the sword between his fingers until the hilt rested in his hand, and shot it like a spear at Dante.

Dante shifted to his left, catching Rebellion with his right hand, and Air Tricked to Vergil. He reached his destination, Devil Triggered, and swung Rebellion back-handed at Vergil. Vergil had drawn Sparda, and blocked Dante's horizontal strike. Dante slid the blade past Vergil's sword, flew away from him, and launched another powered-up Drive. Vergil cut it in half horizontally, the two half-crescents flying above and below him, whilst Dante had gotten right in front of Vergil with his sword poised above his brother's head. Vergil dodged Dante's strike, and came down with a swipe to Dante's back, but Dante ducked, and cut Vergil's right thigh. They began to clash again, the intensity of the strikes echoing through the chamber, and causing their blades to shudder with each impact.

Vergil drew Red Queen, and along with Sparda, performed a Streak/Stinger cross at Dante. Dante leaned back as far as his body would let him, and he touched the slash/stab combo. Then Vergil shot downwards in a two-sword Helm Breaker, bringing Dante with him. He was cut and slammed into the ground by the large swords. His Devil Trigger relinquished, Dante slowly got up off his back, Vergil floating in front of him, devil wings spread. He closed the wings, stepping down onto the ground, stepping towards the crater formed around Dante.

"You can't beat me brother. That is the simple truth." Vergil announced in his warped voice, as if telling it to the whole world. "I have unlocked our father's power, and it is _mine, _none other's. Don't try to stop me." And with that his Devil Trigger switched off, and he turned to the Hell-Gate behind him, coat twirling as he spun, walking off. Dante stood, yelling,

"Vergil!!!" He wavered, and stabbed Rebellion in front of him so as to keep his balance, "_**VERGIL!!**_" Vergil turned, to see the face of Rebellion staring at him in the midst of a painful yell, and the face of his brother, bloodied, with a hot-blooded stare. He turned away, walking up to the circular portal. He looked over his shoulder, and, cold-heartedly, told his brother,

"Don't follow me..." and he placed his right hand onto the portal, which surrounded his body in a flash of light that dissipated to show his figure in the Underworld-side of the portal.

"_**VERGIL!!!! DON'T LEAVE!!!**_" But Dante was too weak to move. He could not stop his brother. To his horror, Vergil drew the Sparda sword off his back, brought it above his head, and spoke to him more gently than he had in at least 10 years...

"Goodbye...my dear brother..." and with those words he cut across the portal's surface with the sword. The portal started to show a black line diagonally over its surface. From that point, the circle began to fall apart in shards, and Dante saw his brother's face for the last time: a bitter expression, cold, but maybe even one of regret. The circle shattered, and Vergil was gone.

Dante gasped, as if shocked that his brother disappeared. Tears slid down his cheeks, and a scream echoed through the hall, through the stone palace, through the frozen lands surrounding it, through Dante's own heart...


End file.
